Let’s Go Together

Haejin couldn’t quite understand why Beomwoo was so afraid.

He was someone who had always lived confidently, never caring much about others’ opinions—so why was he now so sensitive to every reaction?

Haejin suspected it was because he had pushed Beomwoo away too many times.

He didn’t think he’d been wrong. Given the circumstances, pushing him away had been natural.

Still, even if he understood himself, the person being pushed away might have felt very differently.

Keeping that in mind, Haejin replied in the gentlest, most affectionate tone he could manage.

“I was the one who said we should go out and enjoy ourselves.”

“……”

“I really like going places. I love stargazing, too. Honestly, I thought this place was already nice—but now that I know there’s a place you like, Beomwoo, I’m really excited. I really want to go.”

He added lightly that if he were the kind of person who would reject him, he wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place. Since he liked Beomwoo, there was no reason for him to be so cautious.

Yet for some reason, Beomwoo’s expression grew even more complex after his answer.

He’d agreed enthusiastically—shouldn’t that have made Beomwoo happy? Instead, he looked lost in thought.

Why did a simple suggestion like “let’s go somewhere together” frighten him so much? Why couldn’t he fully relax after hearing the yes?

He had already decided to think of Beomwoo as someone completely different from the Beomwoo of his past life, but this reaction felt unrelated to that.

No matter who he was or what he’d been through, if he’d asked out of fear of rejection, then an affirmative answer should have been enough to reassure him.

“…Let’s go often.”

Haejin blinked in surprise as Beomwoo finally spoke.

“Not just once,” he said quietly. “Let’s keep going.”

There was a solemn resolve in his voice.

It felt like an awfully heavy determination for something as simple as going out together, but Haejin saw nothing wrong with sharing the things he liked with Beomwoo.

In fact, it felt close to the kind of relationship he’d always imagined.

So he nodded.

* * * *

The next morning dawned bright, and Haejin and Beomwoo headed back to Seoul.

Before going home, they decided to stop by a supermarket.

They hadn’t bought any groceries since they’d been in Busan for several days.

As they drove toward the mart, Beomwoo glanced at him with concern.

“Haejin, you must be tired. I’ll drop by Jang’s place and then come in. Why don’t you go inside first and rest?”

“No, it’s okay. You’re the one who drove the whole way. I just sat there and slept—how could I leave everything to you?”

“You didn’t just sleep. You were carsick.”

“Still. I’m fine, really. Let’s just shop quickly and go in together.”

Beomwoo kept urging him to rest, worried about his condition, but Haejin couldn’t bring himself to agree.

He’d been the one driving the entire time—how could he go in alone just because he felt tired?

Anyone could tell at a glance that Beomwoo was physically stronger and that Haejin was comparatively frail. His concern wasn’t strange.

But he didn’t want their relationship to feel one-sided. He hoped they could be equals, sharing things together.

They arrived at the mart chatting lightly, parked in the basement, and headed inside.

“Should we make kimchi stew today? And maybe buy some bread for breakfast tomorrow?”

“Okay. I’ll cook.”

“I’m not trying to make you do everything. I can do it.”

“If I think about it honestly, I really should be the one cooking. Your back hurts from yesterday, Haejin, so—”

“Hey! Wait—why would you say that out here?!”

Beomwoo suddenly brought up last night, right there in public.

Haejin’s back did hurt—so much that he’d had to shift positions several times during the drive—but he hadn’t expected him to say it aloud where anyone could hear.

His face burned red as he hurriedly covered Beomwoo’s mouth with his hand.

Beomwoo glanced down at his hand, then gently took it and lowered it, speaking with a teasing smile.

“We didn’t even say we slept together. What’s the problem?”

“…No!”

If he said it now, wasn’t that basically the same thing?

Thankfully, there was no one nearby—it was still the parking area—but someone could have overheard.

Haejin shot him a resentful look, while Beomwoo looked utterly pleased.

“You really are impossible…”

“Anyway,” he added, clearly victorious, “I’ll cook.”

“…Alright. Please do.”

He had plenty to say, but if he kept arguing, he had no idea what else might come out of that runaway mouth of his. In the end, Haejin was the one who gave in.

They went upstairs together, pushing a cart, and filled it efficiently with ingredients for kimchi stew—eggs, tofu, pork belly—and bread for a quick breakfast.

At some point, Beomwoo suddenly disappeared.

Haejin looked around in confusion, wondering where a fully grown man could have gone—but he returned almost immediately.

A strawberry pie?

In his hand was a small pastry topped with strawberry jam.

If it were anyone else, he might have thought nothing of it. But this was Beomwoo—someone who valued efficiency even when it came to eating. And as far as he knew, he didn’t even like sweets.

“Why did you suddenly buy that? Do you like it?” he asked.

“…I thought you might.”

His answer caught Haejin off guard.

It wasn’t for him—it was for Haejin.

Haejin blinked in surprise. He’d already gone grocery shopping for him before, and now that they were living together, it made sense that he might pay attention to Haejin’s tastes—but had he ever eaten something like this in front of him?

In his past life, he’d bought him sweet desserts from the very beginning. But this time… had he noticed him enjoying popcorn during their movie date?

No matter how he’d figured it out, the fact that he’d noticed at all made him feel warm.

That unfamiliar, ticklish feeling stirred in his chest again, and gathering his courage, he spoke.

“Then… should we eat it together after dinner? As dessert.”

“…Together?”

“Yes. You don’t have to eat it if you don’t like sweets. I just thought it’d be nice to sit together… and talk.”

“I’ll eat it.”

He agreed before Haejin could even finish speaking, as if afraid he might take the offer back.

When Haejin looked at him quietly, Beomwoo abruptly turned his attention to the cart.

“It looks like we’ve got everything. Let’s check out.”

“Ah—okay.”

Though he’d clearly changed the subject, they were done shopping, and Haejin was starting to feel hungry anyway.

As they headed to the checkout, Haejin recalled the first time they’d gone grocery shopping together after starting to live together.

Back then, it had felt awkward and tense.

Now, it felt natural—comfortable. Almost like this was how it had always been meant to be.

…Like newlyweds.

Wait—newlyweds?!

Haejin jolted, shaking his head hard.

They were dating, yes—but he definitely hadn’t agreed to that far ahead.

Flustered, he hurriedly pushed the thought away.